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Late to the party, Windows Phone 8 will finally add in-app purchases

In-app purchases have been such a major part of iOS and Android that no app seems complete without it the functionality. Fortunately, Microsoft is finally adding it to Windows Phone 8, the company announced at its Windows Phone Summit.

As on other platforms, the functionality will allow developers to monetize smaller additions to their apps, including new stages in games and other upgrades.

The purchases will work alongside Windows Phone 8’s new wallet feature, which stores a user’s financial information. While the addition is a minor one, it’s a big deal for developers, and will hopefully narrow the gap between Windows Phone 8 and its competitors.

Microsoft is playing a major game of catch up with Windows Phone 8, which also adds features that have been around for quite a while in competing operating systems. Among these are support for dual-core processors, over-the-air updates, and microSD cards.

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